The NYC bookstore tour continues! Today, I headed to The Mysterious Bookshop on Warren and W. Broadway in TriBeCa. Mysteries!!! I love them. Noticeably absent was MY LOVE JANET EVANOVICH but I guess they’re going for quality in there so…sad.

AnyStephaniePlumIsBetterThanAllYouDetectivesCombinedOrWorseThanThemAllAndThatIsWhySheRocksways, what could make The Mysterious Bookshop even more mysterious? The decor. It looks like the library of a wealthy criminal. And, BONUS, they have tons of signed books. I asked the cashier about all their signed copies and he told me it was because the owner is friends with many authors. Who is the owner? Otto Penzler. Therefore, lots of Elmore Leonard inscribed books, which will be my first purchase once I lift my reading ban [not buying any new books until I finish reading what I have].

I share Twain’s sentiments: “haven’t any right to criticize books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can’t conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin-bone.”

**DISCLAIMER: This is the most boring blog post in the history of all the world. But I thought someone might want to talk about the pros/cons of complete work collections with me.**

I’ve already spoken of my love for Three Lives bookstore. On my way there today, I walked through Stonewall Square on Christopher Street where the famous Stonewall riots occurred in 1969. I once wrote a paper about drag queens, Warhol Superstars and Stonewall for a freshmen level class at James Madison. Aside – if you like Warhol, read “a: A Novel”. It isn’t a great piece of literature but it is a personal look into the world surrounding America’s tastemaker. Also, if you like Warhol because you loovveddd Factory Girl, find a cliff to jump off. Also, if you own the Marilyn Monroe Warhol print – find an even higher cliff.

Anyways, I found this collection of the complete works of Oscar Wilde. This brings up my feelings about “complete works” all pushed into one book. On the positive side, it is nice to have everything at hand. You can bring a smorgasbord of Wilde everywhere you go. Can’t remember if that quote is from The Young King or The Happy Prince? Both are at your fingertips so you can flip through and figure it out.

Also, the complete works are a great gift. If you know the person enjoys an author but don’t know which books they’ve already read, this is an easy solution.

However, the complete works of any author are very hard to read from – literally. They’re often so thick that the book is too heavy to easily hold.